Why not marinade ribs before cooking?

Unknown · October 2007

My husband has been trying to find the perfect way to do Memphis sytle ribs and been on the forum alot checking other people's methods. I have done ribs before on the BGE using a marinade, then a rub, then cooking on low (250) for 3 hours. He says no one here seems to marinade the ribs, just use a rub. He also likes the sound of the 3-1-1 cooking method. [p]The marinade I have used has a mix of soy sauce, honey, white wine vinegar, sherry, brown sugar, orange juice, vegetable oil, garlic and ginger.[p]I'd like to know if there's a reason no one marinades the ribs first. We do like them moist and almost falling off the bone when we eat them. Thanks for any help!

thirdeye · October 2007

<p />Lynlynx1,[p]Those ribs sound really good. I marinate country ribs (the ones cut from the shoulder) more often that spare ribs. I also like char sui marinated pork, also cut from the shoulder.[p]There are plenty of folks that marinate pork, and chicken thighs are popular too. Just because there is just more talk about American barbecue, we can't forget Chinese, Mexican or South American barbecue techniques either. [p]~thirdeye~[p][p]

Big'un · October 2007

Lynlynx1,
I asked the same question about brining when I first started on the forum. I'm guessing why no one seems to marinate is that most folks like the taste of the rib, as is, with rub. I believe that marinading will also cause the texture(mushy) to change, depending the marinade and the time spent marinading. That's not to say that nobody marinates. The one thing that you will find that almost no one does is brine ribs. They come out too "hammy" and/or mushy. The 3-1-1 method will produce moist, falling of the bone ribs. I used to think that I could cook some good ribs before(and I did), but this forum has really helped me improve beyond what I would have done on my own. Try some different methods and see what YOU like the best...plus you always get to eat the "experiments".Haha. HTH.
Big'un

Rusty Rooster · October 2007

Lynlynx1,
I have posted this rib marinade befoore and got no reaction. I do not do it every time but it does add a unique flavor to them. Very simple just 1/2 Mojo sauce & 1/2 lime juice.

thirdeye · October 2007

<p />Rusty Rooster,[p]Mojo is one of my favorite marinades too. I make it for using on chicken, chops, and pork roasts (loins and smaller butts).[p]
~thirdeye~

gdenby · October 2007

Lynlynx1,[p]Prior to getting the Egg, I tried everything to get moist tender spareribs and babybacks. While I was never quite successful, marinades did help. I've tried marinades several times with ribs after getting the Egg, and they had very good flavor. However, I've found that I can get tender and moist ribs on the Egg without marinading, so its just more convenient to put on a rub, and place the ribs on the grate. [p]gdenby

thirdeye · October 2007

Now that I thought about it, Juggy's marinade that I use on pork steaks also works on rib tips. I guess I do marinate more than I thought.[p]Click the link and look at the bottom of the page for Uncle Chuck Bob's Piggy Parts Marinade.[p]~thirdeye~
[ul][li]Click Me[/ul]

fishlessman · October 2007

Lynlynx1,
the perfect way is the way you like them the best. theres alot of ways to cook ribs, try a few and see what you like, dr bbq has a sweet recipe in his first book, it might be what your looking for as its sweet and falling off the bone, alot of us like a drier rib without the sweet, so its what YOU like that counts. heres some marinated ribs that were great, not my everyday cook, but still delicous
[ul][li]chinese ribs[/ul]

Eager Egger · October 2007

Lynlynx1, We have marinatted ribs in the past overnight when cooking on our old wood smoker. It really helped there since Smokers are so drafty, you lose the moisture. On the BGE, we have found that a good rub is all that is needed. I have used the 3-1-1 1/2 and 3-1-1 methods and found the 3-1-1 to be the best for our taste. You might try cooking a couple of racks of baby back ribs. Marinate one overnight and just rub on the other. Use the same rub and cooking method for both. Then you decide which you like best. Really it's up to yuor individual taste.

Unknown · October 2007

fishlessman, Is that beef on the skewers in those photos? If so could you share how you prepped them? They look awesome![p]Thank you, Rascal

fishlessman · October 2007

<p />Rascal,
i didnt measure anything, simmered the marinade and added til it tasted good then cooled and marinated the beef. i think that was a ribeye steak. seared for about a min total. hot sesame oil, ginger paste, soy, garlic powder, garam masala, cowlick, brown sugar, hot vinegar sauce, wasabi paste, hoisin. start with the soy and sweeten to taste then add small amounts of everything else to taste

Unknown · October 2007

thirdeye,

Thanks for sharing that recipe and your advice. Thanks also to all the others who shared their ideas and offered help. I have never used forums very much prior to this, but the people here are AWESOME! If you have a question, you post it and almost instantly someone here has knowledge and willing to take time to help another person out. Thanks to every one this morning. Now, I have one more question and not sure if I should post it here, but here goes. My hubby actually has the way to do the ribs 3-1-1 1/2 not 3-1-1. If someone has the link to the 3-1-1, I'd appreciate it. Thanks so much!

fishlessman · October 2007

Lynlynx1,
its pretty much the same method. the first number 3 is the hours of smoke time (taste and color). the second 1 is hours in foil which is the tricky part, to long and they get to be mush, too little and they are still tough, go by feel more than the exact time with this step, i check them at 45 min and decide how much longer. the last 1 or 1.5 is for firming the ribs back up, also go more on looks. the last hour is done direct by some and inderect by others which will give different results and times. the times are all approximates as ribs are done when they are done

Unknown · October 2007

fishlessman, Thank you! I just love "a little bit o' this and a little bit o' that" cookin'! 8 - ) You must achieve an incredible depth of flavor with all those ingredients! Guess I'll start with a few of the basics and take it from there....[p]Rascal

Unknown · October 2007

fishlessman,
Thanks so much for the help and also for your recipe for the Chinese ribs. I want to try that one out soon. My Florida Gator son is bringing some friends home from college this weekend, and he loves ribs so I'll let you know how these turn out this time. Thanks again for the help!!

Why not marinade ribs before cooking?

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